Johburg Challenges

County of Johburg

Johburg's ships and vehicles have been on the move, and as a consequence fuel is becoming more and more scarce, impacting businesses as well as military costs. Some possible solutions:

Have the Constable or the Curia agree to supply fuel to Johburg from the Crusader State's reserves as a necessary war expense.

Borrow from Teldam's stores of refined whale oil to subsidize oil for merchants.

Get support from Rotdam to institute rationing among the merchants in Johburg by promising that Rotdam's merchants won't exploit the rationing.

Status: Unresolved

Salt Fish

Johburg's fishing fleet has had an unusually large catch, and so there is a shortage of salt to preserve the catch for winter. Here are some potential solutions:

Import salt from the salt marshes in Fenford.

Arrange for Avenal to send rock salt from its mines.

Status: Unresolved

The Walls of the Johburg

Countess Amber has been engaged in trying to upgrade and refortify the Johburg as her lands recover from the Betrayal, and she has been making excellent progress -- but there is always more work to be done, and indeed it now serves as an important source of civic aid, putting the indigent to work. Right now, she needs to lay in more stone before the winter sets in. Some possible solutions:

The Baron of Helborg has many quarries in his lands, and could provide cut stone to Johburg.

Instead of quarried stone, Amber could purchase maxicrete reclaimed from Second Republic buildings on the open market. A Reeve PC could arrange for a loan, or she could negotiate with Leon or Crow's Landing to establish a base camp where she could send some of her own men into the Pilgrim's Landing badlands to scavenge.

Status: Unresolved

Harvest Partners

As Johburg's serfs begin to bring in the harvest, it is time to find markets for her excess food this year. Some possible solutions:

The Chancellor could agree to buy Johburg rice for the Refugee contracts.

The Lord of Joyeaux could buy Johburg crops and use them to feed the crusaders who winter there.

Lord Hugh could purchase Johburg crops and use them to feed war-torn Zatan and, potentially, Remle.

Barony of Teldam

Whaling Fleet Raids

Kurgan pirates have been hitting the Teldam whaling fleet, causing ships to have to break away from the pursuit of pods, avoid rich whaling areas and even become captured by the Kurgans. Here are some possible solutions:

Any PC could dispatch 1 naval squadron to protect the whaling fleet.

The whaling ships could be armed more heavily, with guns procured either from the Arsenal at Helborg or imported by any Charioteer PC with a ship who spends a ME running guns.

Status: Resolved by Johburg assigning a squadron to protect the whalers.

Casper's Rock Harvest

The inland baronetcy of Casper's Rock has a shortage of people to help harvest its fall crop because so many people have been mobilized to repel the Kurgans. It needs more hands to help harvest. Here are some possible solutions:

Margat could agree to lend laborers presently working on its Cathedral to instead help with the Casper's Rock harvest.

The Chancellor could help the Lord of Casper's Rock import refugees as temporary workers to fill the harvest.

A Reeve PC could provide a loan to purchase higher-tech harvesting equipment, allowing the harvest to be accomplished with fewer hands.

Status: Unresolved

Free City of Rotdam

Joyeaux Trade Dispute

Rotdam shippers are engaged in a dispute over tariffs with the harbormasters in the Deeping Port, the port in Joyeaux. They claim that the Deeping Port is charging Rotdam ships unfair port fees, while they are giving discounts to merchants from Akko. Some possible solutions:

The Lord of Joyeaux could agree to drop the tariff rate on Rotdam's ships to be equal to those of Akko.

The Chancellor could put pressure on the merchants of Akko to enter into an agreement with the Rotdam merchants where they share Rotdam's fees, decreasing the Akko merchants' advantage.

Rotdam could make an agreement with Fenford to instead make Fenford its primary port for Oultrejoyeaux trade.

Status: Unresolved

Aldermen Elections

With the recent turn-over in the mayoralty, there are by-elections for the various town aldermen as well. One of them, Ephraim Voors, is an Exodite and is vehemently opposed to an off-world crusader guilder as Lord Mayor, and has vowed in his campaign to obstruct the new Lady Mayor's policies if he is elected. Some possible solutions:

Arrange with a Scraver, Decados, or Imperial Eye PC to rig the election so that Voors loses.

Convince the Constable or the Captain-General of the Revelation Expedition to make Voors the principal secretary for Zatan, causing him to withdraw.

With approval from the Countess of Johburg, expand the number of aldermen in the city by three seats, rendering Voors and his faction unable to obstruct the Lady Mayor.

Status: Unresolved

Barony of Margat

Cathedral Ghosts

The work site of the new cathedral has had several workers die in various accidents in the area that will become the sanctuary, and now workers are afraid of working there, slowing down progress in that sections of the cathedral foundations. Here are some possible solutions:

Get a priest PC to perform a special ceremony cleansing that section of the Cathedral of evil spirits.

Give workers a bonus for working in that section by importing wine from Arvin, whiskey from Fenford or mead from Gant.

Several merchants in Margat are trying to expand commercial brewing of beer, a natural outgrowth of the wheat fields in the barony. However, they are struggling to raise capital and have asked the barony to support their nascent industry. Here are some possible solutions:

Arrange a contract with Auberry and its famed glassmakers for discounted glass, allowing Margat brewers to sell bottles and not just kegs.

Acquire higher-quality yeast for the brewers from St. Malcolm's, renowned for its fine abbey ales.

Convince the Lord of Joyeaux to order large quantities of Margat beer in anticipation of the coming winter, where many crusaders are expected to shelter at Joyeaux.

Status: Unresolved

Barony of Helborg

Mine Safety

Several of Helborg's mines are getting old, and there have been mounting deaths due to gas pockets, crumbling supports and the like. These delays in turn are affecting the bottom line. Here are some potential solutions:

Hire an Engineer PC to begin improving the mines. The Engineer will need 8 VPs total on Engineering checks; each check is a Major Effort.

Get the Chancellor to approve having Muster oversees recruit miners from the refugee camps you can send into the most dangerous mines.

Status: Unresolved

Displaced Persons

Increasing raiding in the desert has displaced a small village -- Wisdom's Rest -- used by some of the hill tribes as a resting-place for the elderly who can no longer sit a horse. It is tended to by a few Amalthean priests, but now they need to move the village to somewhere safer that won't offend other hill tribes, which rules out most of the mountains, but still close enough for tribesmen to visit their families. Some possible solutions:

Arrange with the Countess of Johburg to settle the village on some of her lands in the foothills.

Agree with Lady Chiaka (who also has a lot of influence with the tribes)to jointly request that the tribesmen increase protection for Wisdom's Rest, declaring some sort of peace around it.

Any PC could deploy a company of artillery for the season to guard Winter's Rest and help it prepare more permanent defenses.

Status: Unresolved

Barony of Crow's Landing

Border Reivers

Badlander raids are exploiting tension between Leon and Crow's Landing to hit prospectors heading to and from the Relic Market at the Landing. Concerned about safety, some of the relic hunters are instead taking their trade to the market at Low Road. Some possible solutions:

Enter into a mutual defense pact with Leon, so that Crow's Landing and Leon's soldiers make sure there are not gaps that the badlanders can exploit.

Convince the Constable or Chancellor to shut down or otherwise curtail the market at Low Road so that relic hunters have to go to the Relic Market.

Those taifa tenants who survived the purges are making claims on their old lands, promising to swear and be faithful to Crow's Landing as they always have been. In some cases, they have reoccupied their old estates, and the tension is causing people to keep weapons close to hand and distracting attention from the harvest. While Crow's Landing could just intervene in favor of the crusaders, that would unduly exacerbate its political problems. Some possible solutions:

Hire a Reeve PC to lawfully evict either the crusaders or deny the Kurgans' claims in some undisputed fashion.

Ask a lord with credibility among the taifa Kurgans like Renaud or Amber to vouch for you, then promise them that they will be given new land cleared from the badlands, or alternately with their support execute the remaining taifa Kurgans.

Get a lord with access to special forces who is not linked to Crow's Landing to "take care" of the problem by eliminating the remaining taifa Kurgans. Good candidates include Desideria, Katerine, or Lysandra.

Status: Unresolved

Leon Challenges

County of Leon

The Knights of the Bridge

Leon has at least temporarily welcomed the Knights of the Bridge, former armsmen of Lord Martin's from Bridgeton, and as winter approaches they need a place to live. That can be in Leon, though that might present a political wrinkle, or it can be elsewhere. Here are some possible solutions:

Return them to Newbridge with the assent of the military forces presently occupying the fief.

Settle them in Auberry, near to Newbridge, with the agreement of the Chamberlain there.

Find temporary housing in Leon; they will need to be fed, which means supplies for them need to be imported from Margat or Arvin.

Status: Unresolved

Border Reivers

Badlander raids are exploiting tension between Leon and Crow's Landing to hit outlying settlements in southern Leon, stealing some of the fall harvest. Here are some possible solutions:

Enter into a mutual defense pact with Crow's Landing, so that Crow's Landing and Leon's soldiers make sure there are not gaps that the badlanders can exploit.

Get the Castellan of the North to agree to refocus the watch-wardens towards raiders heading into Leon, giving Leon's troops an early warning.

Any PC could deploy a company of extra soldiers to beef up patrols along the border, overcoming the lack of coordination with manpower.

Status: Unresolved

Treasury Shortage

The Leon treasury is desperately short on funds, because it has been spending money like crazy. While normal income will eventually replenish that, it is having short-term problems paying suppliers and the like. Here are some possible solutions:

Get a loan from a Reeve or Brother Battle PC to cover short-term expenses.

Sell some expensive artwork to a PC with an opulent lifestyle like Chiaka, Arkady, a rich guilder, or one of the counts.

Agree to a favorable trade deal with Joyeaux or Auberry, lowering tariffs on their goods in exchange for an up-front cash payment.

Status: Unresolved

Loyal Lord Pierce's Family Tomb

Pierce de Moley, the Lord of Jaffray Hall, is a cousin of some of the lords who once ruled Joyeaux -- and many of his kin are buried in the Joyeaux chapel. He has been trying to get some of his family's bones returned to him, but one of them is a local martyr from the age of St. Malcolm, the eponymous Jaffray de Moley. Jaffray's Tomb has become a sort of shrine for the crusaders in Joyeaux, and so they have been unwilling to let Jaffray's bones be transported back to Jaffray Hall. Even better, were the bones entombed at Jaffray Hall, some of those crusader pilgrims would now come there. Some potential solutions:

The Lord of Joyeaux could agree to release the bones.

The Abbot of St. Palamedes or the Bishop of Leon could order that the bones be moved to Jaffray Hall.

A Scraver PC could be hired to steal the bones in a TP.

Status: Unresolved

Sovereign Baronetcy of Gant

Unsavory Characters

The former Lord Ysbrandt associated with a number of unsavory characters, and they have an undue influence inside Gant, though they often operate from untamed border regions between Gant and Margat. The new lord needs to work on cleaning them out. Here are some possible solutions:

Hire a Reeve PC to see to it that new magistrates and investigators are put in.

Get permission from the Chancellor or the Castellan of the North to hire away a few veterans from the city bailiffs or the watch-wardens to form the core of a new police force.

Make an agreement with the Baron of Margat for some of Margat's men to watch their borders, keeping the unsavory types laying low while power is consolidated.

Status: Using Watch-Wardens, other veterans, and the like, Gant is getting a new constabulary.

Lumber Mills

There are lumber mills in several of Gant's villages that provide important income for the baronetcy, but they are in desperate need of updating and repair. Work has been started, but the repairs are moving very slowly. Here are several possible solutions:

Hire an Engineer to upgrade the mills with new technology; this will take 3 VPs from the Engineer on a Tech roll, with one roll per ME spent on the project.

Cut a deal with the Baron of Crow's Landing to acquire some parts and other scrap from the Relic Market, which should provide the raw materials for Gant's own technicians to repair the mills more swiftly.

Find a buyer for raw, unmilled logs while the mills are down for lengthy repairs. Fenford and Joyeaux both use raw logs to create causeways in the Fens, while Auberry needs large timber to begin repairs to the Cripple Bridge.

Status: Resolved. Gant is selling Fenford timber to help build causeways, while also importing materials from the Relic Market to repair the mills.

Barony of Port-Leon

Civic Unrest

Chartist merchants in Port-Leon are demanding a charter, and are upset that they are ruled directly. Granting them a charter, however, will take a lot of income out of the barony's direct control. Here are some possible solutions:

Allow them to petition the Crusader State for a charter and then agree with the Chancellor to have the petition denied, quieting them for at least a few seasons.

Hire a Reeve PC to fabricate legal cases against the leading chartists, thus quieting them down.

Make an agreement with the Count of Leon to have a company of Leon troops stationed in the town to suppress dissent.

Make a trade deal with Auberry, Johburg or Joyeaux preferencing Port-Leon merchants, with the condition that they not demand a charter.

Status: Unresolved

Gulf Raids

All of the Kurgan activity in the Shining Gulf has made shipping a more dangerous prospect. While there are plenty of warships out trying to protect friendly shipping, a lack of coordination means that Port-Leon vessels are still being picked off. While this problem is affecting the other major shippers, they are farther from the center of action and so are feeling the pinch less keenly. Here are some solutions:

Enter into a pact with Johburg, Rotdam and the Chancellor agreeing to share information about shipping routes so that vessels can caravan together.

Convince a fief with many extra space assets like Margat or Auberry, or the Constable to sponsor regular overflights of the Shining Gulf, reporting back information about safe shipping routes.

Arrange with Lady Samina, the Hydessos representative, for Hydessos to send some commerce guards north to the Gulf in exchange for a greater presence in Port-Leon.

Status: Unresolved

Barony of Arvin

Vintage Year

Arvin has had an excellent year in wine production, and so it has more wine on its hands than it knows what to do with, and needs to find new markets for its products. Some possible solutions:

Joyeaux hosts a great many crusaders each winter, and the Count of Oultrejoyeaux might be willing to buy prodigious quantities of Arvin Red to provide his guests, which might also allow some of the lesser barrels to be offloaded.

The Chancellor could feature Arvin wines at the Harvest Festival in Akko, increasing demand.

A Charioteer PC could spend an ME to begin selling some of Arvin's better wines off-world, finding a new market.

Status: Unresolved

Construction Boom

Arvin suffered less than many other fiefs during the Betrayal, and so many of its people are taking this time to reinvest those profits into the fief. As a consequence, there is a construction boom, and the barony is chronically short on building materials. Here are some possible solutions:

Helborg's quarries can always provide more stone, and a contract could be arranged with the Baron of Helborg.

Similarly, Gant has a lumber industry, and a deal could be made with them to acquire timber.

Metal siding can be had in plenty from Pilgrim's Landing; an arrangement could be made with either Crow's Landing or the Quarter-Castellan of the North for parties to go in search of scrap.

Status: Unresolved

Barony of Josselin

Fishing Woes

Josselin's fishing fleet has long been full of eelmen who have fished traditional parts of the fens near Joyeaux, but in recent years they have been barred from getting to their traditional grounds, leading to rampant unemployment. Some potential solutions:

Make a deal with Joyeaux to re-open Josselin's traditional fishing grounds.

Ask Lady Sofia or another high-Sailor PC to spend an ME training the Josselin fleet to sail farther from the coast.

One of Josselin's baronetcies, Focult, grazes some upland sheep in a hanging valley near the lands of one of Port-Leon's lords, the Lord of Focult Vale, who is in turn expanding his wool farming and is now claiming the valley for his own, since it does not have enough water to support both operations. The dispute between the two Focults is at a border stage, and the legal status of the valley is unclear, but Focult Vale has so far been able to intimidate Focult's herders from visiting the valley, causing problems. Some potential solutions:

Deploy a company of soldiers to guard the shepherds, which will deter Focult Vale's men.

Agree with the Baroness of Port-Leon that the valley is to be used by Focult herders and that Focult Vale's herders cannot force them out.

Hire a Reeve PC to litigate the valley's ownership, gaining it for for your vassal.

Status: Unresolved

Auberry Challenges

Twin Counties of Auberry and Maleband

Mortimer Remnants

Auberry has long been played by loyalists to the Mortimers, particularly in the old ancestral town of Mortymer. The Jakovians could engage in a brutal crackdown, but there is a concern that without some political cover for the crackdown it could create unrest. Some possible solutions:

Gain Church approval by having an Inquisitor PC deputize the Kossacks to root out traitors.

Have the Chancellor prescriptively attaint a list of targets for the Kossacks to hit.

Any PC could deploy two companies of soldiers to Auberry to suppress rebellion.

Status: Unresolved

Strange Frontiers

While the circle surrounding the new terraforming engine is untamed, there are glimmers of life near the ruins of old Maleband, available to be settled. Right now, however, this is wild land, with no order and plenty of chaos. Some possible solutions:

Give the Lady Avenal or some other vassal with independent resources governorship over the new lands, making them responsible for the problems there.

Get a Reeve PC to authorize a loan for the new lands' development and then fund settlers of your choice, keeping chaos down.

Hire an Engineer PC to try to stabilize the rather chaotic wild lands around the terraforming engine in a TP.

Status: Lady Chiaka has been appointed governor, and the Brother Battle have loaned her money to finance development.

Path to the Sea

Auberry has long exported some of its glassware through Josselin, which is the closest coastal fief, but recent tensions over Newbridge have made that port fraught with worry. Now, the county needs to find a place to export its goods. Some potential solutions:

Reach an agreement with Josselin to resume exporting from Josselin's seaside villages

Reach an agreement with Joyeaux to shift the exports to the Deeping Port

Reach an agreement with Port-Leon to move the exports south to Port-Leon

Status: Unresolved

Kurakin Cousins

There are several cousins to Count Kurakin hanging around at the court of Auberry, and many of them are less than excited about the new regime and interested in stirring up trouble, which they have been doing -- carrying away villagers for their own nefarious purposes, demanding free food and drink from armsmen, and generally causing an expensive nuisance. They need to be sent away, which means some suitably attractive positions for them. Here are some potential solutions:

Get the Constable to agree to give them sinecure commands in Crusader State forces

Have the Count of Leon promise them baronetcies in newly-conquered lands near Abay if they take service with him

Send the Kurakin cousins to Teldam if the Baron there will promise them first pick of the booty from the Kurgan invaders.

Status: Unresolved

Barony of Avenal

Dam Construction

Avenal has been suffering some water shortages since the incident with the terraforming engine, compounded by a swelling population as people look for new land or prepare for war in the desert. As a consequence, it is working on damming up a mountain valley -- New Fuller's Dam -- to serve as a new reservoir, but work just isn't moving as fast as it needs to because of a shortage of labor and materials. Here are some possible solutions:

Have a senior Church PC declare that working on New Fuller's will earn workers an indulgence, causing a flood of new labor.

Hire an Engineer PC to design the dam better, requiring 5 VPs on Engineering rolls with an ME per roll.

Contract with the Lord of Crow's Landing or with the Castellan of the North to acquire Second Republic high-strength materials from the badlands, allowing the dam to be built stronger, faster.

Status: Resolved - Baron of Crow's Landing is selling Second Republic materials to Chiaka for stronger dam. Additionally, the Brother Battle have granted indulgences to those who work on the dam.

Livestock Exports

Burgeoning war in the desert means that many tribes are trying to sell off larger herds than usual, fearing that they will lose cattle and sheep to raids even if they are not quite as fat as they'd like. As a consequence, there is a surplus of animals at the Livestock Market in Avenal. Some potential solutions:

Convince Teldam to purchase large portions of the herd to replace animals lost to war.

Have a Reeve or Brother Battle PC extend a loan to set up more tanneries, converting some of the animals into a leather trade.

Buy excess grain from Margat or Arvin to keep the herds over the winter in Avenal, so that in the spring they can be sold at higher prices.

Status: Brother Battle loans are funding the construction of new tanneries.

Priory of St. Malcolm's

Winterizing

War in the Craglands is coming close to Prior's Ford, and as a consequence the Brother Battle need to start winterizing many of their weapons and vehicles as well as issue new winter gear for their brothers, made more pressing by the belief that odd weather patterns likely related to the terraforming engine may make actual snow fall. Some potential solutions:

Import whale oil and blubber from Teldam to keep the chill off vehicles.

Purchase large quantities of Josselin wool that can be turned into heavy clothing for soldiers.

Status: Unresolved

Hops Required

One of Prior's Ford signature products is a rich brown ale produced in the monastery and made with water from the Lesser Fork. Kurgan raids, however, have burned a number of hop yards, and so more hops are needed if the ale is going to be brewed using the traditional recipe. Some potential solutions:

Strike a deal with Lady Samina, Hydessos' representative, to ship hops north from Brother Battle priories in the Antipodes.

Develop a new, lower-hop recipe for the ale by means of a grand beer festival, thrown in Leon with the agreement of the Count there.

Make an agreement with the Chamberlain of Auberry for the Brother Battle to purchase related hops from Auberry; the flavor will be a little different, but close enough to pass.

Status: Hops have been imported from Hydessos.

Oultrejoyeaux Challenges

Lordship of Joyeaux

Crannocmen Militias

With Kurgan raiding coming closer to Joyeaux, more Kurgans have been moving through the fens to raid crannoc villages, often killing the fen fishermen along the way. They need to be better armed to see to their own defense, particularly with so many armsmen called up. Here are some potential solutions:

Arm the crannocmen more heavily by importing small arms from the Arsenal at Helborg.

Have Lady Sofia or some other character with a high Sailor skill train them in more effective combat in shallow water by spending 1 ME.

Any PC could deploy a company of soldiers to the fens to help train the locals.

Status: Resolved - Lady Sofia will be training men in shallow water combat. ME submitted for effort.

Winter Supplies

Joyeaux tends to host huge companies of crusaders during the winter, and it needs to lay in supplies for that purpose or else winter will be very harsh. Some potential solutions:

Lay in whale oil from Teldam, a common and traditional source of heat

Import dried meat and other preserved food from Avenal or Arvin.

Make a trade agreement with Hydessos, whose summer occurs during the Gulf's winter.

Status: Resolved - trade agreement with Hydessos via Lady Samina.

Trade Watch

While the Brother Battle patrol the pilgrim road, many of the arteries of trade in Oultrejoyeaux have no such protection, and as the war heats up road danger -- whether from Kurgans, bandits, or hungry crusaders -- is starting to impact trade. Here are some possible solutions:

Establish a system of road wardens with Claudius' Tomb to help cover the inland trade roads in Oultrejoyeaux.

Any PC could deploy a company of regular soldiers to patrol the roads.

Convince a senior Church PC to declare several important trade routes pilgrim roads, forcing the Brother Battle to patrol them.

Status: Unresolved

Comital Dignity

Joyeaux is only recently a county, and it still lacks many of the fine things one would expect of a count -- the generations of artwork, fine chefs, and the like that scream wealth. Some potential solutions:

Import artists and artwork from Hydessos with the help of Lady Samina

Purchase surplus fine things from one of the other counts

Hire a Charioteer to spend an ME and bring in rich artwork and artisans from offworld

Barony of High Fen

High Fen is famous for its whiskey, produced using the peat moss from the Fens -- but with the demand for war monies production needs to increase. Here are some potential solutions:

Convince the Lady Warden or Constable to make High Fen whiskey the sole spirit distributed aboard Akko naval vessels.

Begin exporting the whiskey off-world through any character who makes 5 VPs on Commerce rolls, with 1 ME per roll.

Status: Unresolved

Crannoc fishermen

Like all the Fen baronies, High Fen derives a great deal from fishing and working the Fens, but during its vacancy fishermen from Fenford and other Fen towns began to fish some of its old murks, reducing production. Here are some potential solutions:

Agree with Fenford that High Fen can have its old lamprey grounds back.

Convince the Lord of Joyeaux to rule that Fenford must vacate High Fen's lamprey grounds.

Get a loan from a Reeve or Brother Battle PC to get affected fishermen new aluminum boats, allowing them instead to fish in the deeper waters of the River of Joy.

Status: Resolved - Agreed with Fenford (Sofia) that High Fen can have its old lamprey grounds back.

Barony of Fenford

Rebuilding

Fenford has been hit hard by coastal raiders, and the various crannocs and villages need help rebuilding. Here are some potential solutions:

Import quarried stone from Helborg, long a source of such materials.

Make an agreement with the Count of Leon to have reparations paid out of the plunder of Zatan and Abay, to be distributed so that the crannocmen can rebuild themselves.

Take out a loan from a Reeve or Brother Battle PC to finance rebuilding by Guild Edificers.

Status: Unresolved.

Coastal Defenses

With the increased activity along the coasts, Fenford would benefit from some sort of early warning system in concert with other barons along the northern coasts. Here are some ways to implement that:

Make an agreement with Josselin and the Brother Battle for a mutual warning system

Convince the Constable to declare that all the north Gulf lords must participate in such a scheme

Recruit a PC with strong recon skills like Desideria or Trisje to scout out places where Fenford's own scouts could set up watch with fewer people.

Status: Resolved with a mutual warning system.

Barony of Claudius' Tomb

Alivere Trade Route

The road from Alivere to the coast runs through Meekham, and now that the city has been reconquered some trade has been flowing back and forth. To capitalize on this, however, Meekham needs a good destination for trade so that it doesn't route instead through Ghilat and Joyeaux. Some possible solutions:

Direct the merchants to invest in improved harbor facilities in Fenford, with the baroness' there's permission.

Secure a loan from the Reeves or Brother Battle to build better caravanserais in Meekham itself, so that no matter where the trade goes they will go through Meekham.

Status: Resolved with a Brother Battle loan.

Trade Watch

While the Brother Battle patrol the pilgrim road, many of the arteries of trade around Meekham have no such protection, and as the war heats up road danger -- whether from Kurgans, bandits, or hungry crusaders -- is starting to impact trade. Here are some possible solutions:

Establish a system of road wardens with Joyeaux to help cover the inland trade roads in Oultrejoyeaux.

Any PC could deploy a company of regular soldiers to patrol the roads.

Convince a senior Church PC to declare several important trade routes pilgrim roads, forcing the Brother Battle to patrol them.

Status: Resolved with a BB armsman company patrolling the roads around Meekham.

Priory of St. Claudius

Rebuild the Pier

The piers at Port Saint-Claude were burned down by the Pious Men; without them, trade to Port-Sant-Claude has been severely limited. Here are some potential solutions:

Import timber from Gant to rebuild the pilings

Agree with the Constable or the governor of Zatan to loot portions of that city's piers and houses

Status: Unresolved

The Wealth of the Church

St. Claude has had several churches burned by the pious men, and it needs to rebuild. The rebuilding isn't the hard part -- there is local stone -- nor is the labor, but the churches were stripped of their gold and silver, and need new patrons to redecorate their chapels.

There is a single large church -- the Shrine of St. Claudius -- that will need the wealth of a count to outfit it properly.

There are three smaller churches that will need a baron's wealth to outfit; they are St. Godfrey-by-the-Sea, St. Paulus of the Crossing, and St. Jivanta's.

Status: Resolved - Count Sans has agreed to pay for the ornamentation of the destroyed churches as part of reconstruction efforts. Lord Caelwyn has also agreed to contribute money for reconstruction of the churches.

Other Challenges

Lordship of Akko

Keep Repairs

The recent earthquake and fire damaged the Keep of St. Godfrey, which needs some repair. Some potential solutions:

Import quarried stone from Helborg

Loot marble from from the Sacred Springs in Abay with the permission of the Count of Leon

Status: Unresolved

Winter Supplies

Akko has to keep its substantial set of fighting men fed and housed during the winter. Some potential solutions:

Lay in whale oil from Teldam, a common and traditional source of heat

Import dried meat and other preserved food from Avenal or Arvin.

Make a trade agreement with Hydessos, whose summer occurs during the Gulf's winter.

Status: Hydessos is sending food north to help feed the fighting men of Akko.

Munitions Stores

The recent Battle of Roadfall as well as the extended campaigns in the East have begun to deplete the munitions stores of the State. Here are some potential solutions:

Purchase ammunition and artillery shells from the Arsenal at Helborg.

Agree with the Duke of Fallingfire for the Li Halan to begun supplying munitions to the Crusader State.

Status: Resolved by agreement with the Duke of Fallingfire to provide weapons.

Badlands Unrest

The watch-wardens are having a harder and harder time covering all of the badlands, with the rise in the Lander King. They need some support. Here are some potential solutions:

Get aid from Crow's Landing or Leon in watching the northern parts of the badlands.

Deputize young adventuring knights to help patrol, kicking off the endeavor with a great feast supplied by Arvin or Margat

Any PC could deploy an extra company or soldiers to bolster the watch-wardens' patrols.

Crime is on the rise in Akko; as war increases, more and more people who might be patrolling are being pulled off the streets. While some districts, like the Arcade, are reveling in the rise in crime, others need help, and are asking the Chancery for extra support. Here are some solutions:

Any PC or combination of PCs could deploy 5 companies to the city to assist in crime suppression.

A senior Church PC could authorize the Swords of Lextius to once again resume patrolling the city to aid districts in need.

The Curia could vote to give special authority to a Reeve or other PC to begin aggressively targeting crime. This would require a financial commitment in the range of 50,000 firebirds a year.

Status: The Swords of Lextius have begun patrolling the city again, thanks to Brother Battle intervention.

Dangerous Crossings

There is a constant fleet of small vessels running from Revelation to Akko, but lately, the seas have been getting worse, ever since the new terraforming engine was activating near old Maleband. Combined with the rising fall and winter storms and many small boats are being lost. Here are some solutions:

A PC with a high Sailor skill like Sofia or Zakaria could work on training some of the flotilla making the crossing to better handle their vessels.

Either Hydessos or Fallingfire could become patrons of the crossing, upgrading some of the worse ships to larger vessels.

Any PC could dedicate a naval squadron to coast guard duties, helping ships make the dangerous crossing.

Status: Hydessos is spending money to upgrade some of the ships and make them larger and stronger.

Food Aid

The city of Akko constantly needs food aid for the refugees as well as others -- and it is a constant search for suppliers who can supply enough food at low cost. Here are some potential sources for food aid:

Arvin, Margat, Avenal, Leon and Johburg all have some levels of excess supply, while food can also be shipped north from Hydessos or Fallingfire during their summer. Three of these places will probably be needed to contribute food.

Status: Johburg is one of the fiefs willing to provide excess food supply.

Sickness in St. Malcolmsbury

The village of St. Malcolmsbury, one of Akko's baronets, has a mysterious sickness. Initial reports from the Amaltheans suggest that it is some sort of fever; they believe it will pass, if the inflammation and pain its sufferers have can be suppressed, but they need drugs -- and if it doesn't get suppressed, there's a fear the sickness may spread. Here are some potential solutions:

Speak to Auberry or another Decados PC with selchakah connections and obtain a large quantity of selchakah.

An Amalthean PC could make 6 VPs on Physick rolls to come up with a less addictive medicine, with 1 ME per roll.

Any three fiefs could agree to take some of the afflicted, spreading them out and allowing local healers to treat them with their own supplies.

Status: Johburg is one of the fiefs willing to take the sick.

Occupied City of Zatan

Food Relief

Zatan has seen many of its people killed and its fields burned, and it is going to have way too small a harvest if relief is not brought in. Here are some possible solutions:

Excess fish and harvest could be purchased from Johburg

The Chancellor could divert food meant for the refugees to Zatan

Dried meat could be purchased from Avenal

Status: Johburg and Avenal have sent supplies to Zatan.

Tainted Water Supply

Zatan's water supply is in trouble; some of the main aqueducts were broken during the siege, with a pumping station particularly damaged and in need of repair. Some possible solutions:

An Engineer PC could repair the pumping station with 3 VPs on an extended set of Tech rolls, requiring 1 ME per roll.

A new pumping station could be imported from Avenal, which has an extra set of pumps it can recover with a TP from the terraformed regions.

The Chancellor could authorize funds to dig new wells so that it would no longer be dependent on external pumps.

Status: Unresolved, but Verity is working on repairing the pumps and Lady Chiaka has authorized an expedition to recover her extra pumps from the terraforming zone.

Abbey of St. Palamedes the Redeemer

Coastal Patrols

With war in the north gulf, St. Palamedes has been closer to the fighting than it would like -- and its coast watchmen are not well suited for such things. They need to be able to better defend against Kurgan raiders. Here are some potential solutions:

Lady Sofia or another PC with a high Sailor skill could train them in being better at coastal defense with an ME.

The Abbey could enter into a mutual defense pact with Port-Leon and Josselin, its neighbors to the north and south, so that their patrols will help protect St. Palamedes

Status: Unresolved

Ambitious Climbers

St. Palamedes has always been a place for young clerics with an eye on their future, and the influx of offworld priests has exacerbated that problem. There are, frankly, too many cooks in the kitchen, and so they need to find some new daughter priories to give some of these priests something to do. Some possible solutions:

Build a priory cell in Teldam, which is very far from the Bishop of Akko, its diocesan superior.

Send missionaries into the badlands, if Lord Hugh will offer protection.

Send a delegation to begin reconsecrating the cathedral of the Sacred Springs in Abay, with Count Renaud's sponsorship.

Status: A priory cell is being established in Teldam.

Hydessos Interests

Right now, Lady Samina is Nadira Nour's emissary in the Shining Gulf, tasked to look after Hydessos' interests.

Trade Missions

Hydessos wants to flex its muscle more in the Shining Gulf, concerned that it may lose its seat at Yathrib's table. As a consequence, it needs to establish some places where its merchants have favored trade status so that it can outcompete offworld merchants:

The nobles in the Antipodes are looking for places where they can be welcome in the Shining Gulf, and so they want lords to give them limited immunity, with the promise that they will be extradited to Hydessos if they get in trouble.

Fallingfire's Allies

Right now, Lord Caelwyn is Fallingfire's senior vassal in the Shining Gulf, and so his liege's problems become his.

Starve the Beast

The Duke of Fallingfire is locked in a conflict with Hydessos, and so it is trying to limit the flow of money that comes south to Nadira Nour from trade in the Shining Gulf. It is looking for places to raise rates on Hydessos merchants and preference instead traders from Fallingfire, Akko, or offworld.

Fallingfire constantly has an influx of crusaders from the Garden Worlds. Most of them are locked in a struggle with the Kurgans in the antipodes, but it is looking at sending expeditions to the Gulf. The Duke will send a company of soldiers to any fief who is willing to provide a hill fort or other minor keep to house a Li Halan expedition.

Any fief that is willing to host a company of Li Halan soldiers can have one sent to them, if Fallingfire's man in the Gulf agrees.

Status: Resolved - Outposts have been built in Fenford, Prior's Ford, and Johburg.